Mahabharata — Anushasana Parva, Shloka 10
Kīṭopākhyāna: Prajā-pālana as Kṣatra-vrata and the Attainment of Brāhmaṇya
न हातः सदृशं किंचिदिह लोके परत्र च । यत् सर्वेष्विह भूतेषु दया कौरवनन्दन,कौरवनन्दन! इस लोक और परलोकमें इसके समान दूसरा कोई पुण्यकार्य नहीं है कि इस जगतमें समस्त प्राणियोंपर दया की जाय
na hātaḥ sadṛśaṃ kiñcid iha loke paratra ca | yat sarveṣv iha bhūteṣu dayā kauravanandana ||
毗湿摩说道：“噶罗婆族之欢（库鲁后裔）啊，在此世与彼世，都没有什么能与此相比：对世间一切众生施以慈悲。再无任何功德之行可与普遍的仁爱等量齐观。”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Universal compassion (dayā toward all beings) is presented as the highest puṇya—unsurpassed in value both in this life and in the hereafter—because it directly sustains dharma and restrains harm.
In the Anuśāsana Parva’s instruction section, Bhīṣma continues advising the Kuru king (addressed as Kauravanandana, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira), emphasizing that no religious merit equals compassion toward all creatures.